For Rovers running simplex, it's going to be tough. I suppose it depends
on what the Rover is using for the APRS. Assuming he is using about 100
watts and a higher-gain beam for his weak-signal work and he's only S1 at
my end, something less than 100 watts to an omni antenna on FM is going
to be even harder to copy. If he's so close that he's S9 on SSB or CW, I
wouldn't even need an APRS fix on him.
There may be ranges in between these extremes where it might work out.
But most of the Rovers don't get very close to me too often. They hang
around the metropolitan population centers which are a good distance away.
I'm just going to have to try an operation closer to Chicago some day!
73, Zack W9SZ
On Fri, 2 Mar 2007, Ev Tupis wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----
>
> APRS being run by rovers does you little good when they are
> out of "FM with an omni" antenna range.
> ---------------------------
> The same can be said for any strategy. For instance, "CW does little good if
> no one in the area knows morse code." HamIM (APRS, reconfigured for contest
> support) is no different. On the other hand, I worked many rovers who were
> "just passing through" and would have otherwise missed them. Likewise,
> though I may have lost them along the way to their hilltop, I found them
> again as soon as they arrived (their altitude is a benefit).
>
> I even went out as a rover one year, with no pre-announced activity...but
> with HamIM active. When I arrived on my hilltop, my HamIM screen filled with
> messages from home-based stations wanting a QSO (they are valid on 2m simce
> they are simplex) and a QSY to another band (I was a 5-band FM only rover).
>
> I presented a paper on HamIM at the Central States VHF Conference in Toronto.
> More info can be found in those proceedings.
>
>
> Ev, W2EV
>
_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
|